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Using Music To Raise Bicultural Children

One of my favorite things about mothering in a foreign land is to teach the kids about their heritage. This is so important to do when raising bilingual kids since culture and language are undeniably intertwined. Because traveling is not suitable for everyone, you can also offer cultural experiences from the walls of your home through music.

Music serves as a cultural component facilitating the acquisition of a new language. LA-based children’s performer Nathalia Palis-McLaughlin uses music as a tool for teaching children Spanish and her Colombian heritage. Her new bilingual children’s album: “Cuando era pequeña (When I Was Your Age)” offers a wide variety of musical styles that will spark conversations about culture. The songs of the album are fun, engaging, catchy and will bring you back to the magic of your own childhood! There are 10 songs on this album and you can listen to a sample here.

I enjoyed this album very much! It does a great job at reflecting the beauty of the Latino culture through its lyrics and music. My children’s favorite song of the album is “Qué llueva,” a bilingual song that remind them about the rainy days in Ecuador. It is beautiful how a song can bring memories and connection!

What else will you find in Nathalia’s album?

“There are also songs about birthday surprises, dinosaurs, nightmares and more! There are also stories about birthdays, nightmares, a particular dislike for math and more! The songs are written in a variety of musical styles and include performances by musicians from across the US and Colombia. Produced by Brian McLaughlin and three-time Grammy winner Shafik Palis, the album features the talents of Ramon Benitez (Joe Arroyo), Juan De Luque (Carlos Vives), Luis Angel “El Papa” Pastor (Gloria Estefan, Juanes), Andrea Hammond, Garth Stevenson and more.”

Today a lucky HispanicMama reader will win a copy of this amazing bilingual album. The only thing you need to do is to tell me in the comments what’s your favorite way to teach children culture. The giveaway is open worldwide! The winner will be picked from random.org next Monday!

Buena suerte!

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this album for review. All thoughts and opinions are strictly my own.

Music is our go to! You can adapt it to fit the needs of children of all ages. I have a 9 month old and a 3.5 year old yet I an leverage music to work on culture with both of them at the same time. They react to it differently but each at their own pace!

Wow thanks for hosting this giveaway! I would say my favorite way to learn about another culture is through children’s literature, especially picture books written and/or illustrated by a person from that culture.

hello¡ i love to talk to my son about different cultures every time we hear a different language, we live in Buenos Aires and we come across many multicultural families. The cd sounds good … kisses from Argentina.
Gabriela